Obama Gives Members Of Congress A Pay Raise

[octoberlib]

Members of Congress will join other federal workers in seeing a modest increase in their pay next year thanks to an executive order signed by President Obama Thursday.
Congressmen and senators who make $174,000 a year will see an extra $900 in their annual pay packages before taxes next year. That's an increase of 0.5 percent that will take place after March 27.
Vice President Joe Biden will also see an increase in his pay.
The executive order increasing the pay of members of Congress comes while the White House and Congress push to reach a deal on the so-called fiscal cliff before taxes and deep spending cuts take place on January 1.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/obama-gives-members-of-congress-a-pay-raise




While Republicans blocked the bill proposed by Democrats to raise the minimum wage.

House Democrats proposed legislation in June that would have raised the national minimum wage to $10 an hour, but Republicans blocked it. The minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, even though it would need to be raised to $9.92 to match the borrowing power it had in 1968. If it was indexed to inflation, it would be $10.40 today.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/12/28/1356701/what-could-have-been-the-most-important-bills-blocked-by-republicans-in-2012/


Copy of the Executive Order http://www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/2012/2013PAY_Attach.pdf

[liberal_at_heart]

1. they get a pay raise and we get chained CPI

great representation there guys.

[DCKit]

15. And the current minimum wage is no different than the chained CPI.

Cat food for everyone.

At least they're equal opportunity (for the working poor and retired).

[JI7]

2. does he have to give to members of congress when he gives it to others ?

[octoberlib]

5. According to factcheck.org

Under current law, pay increases are determined by a cost-of-living formula, and they take effect automatically, unless Congress votes to stop them. And in fact, that’s what has happened for the past two years. Congress denied itself any pay raise in 2010 and in 2011. I wish he could hold back the Republicans paychecks.

[SidDithers]

16. "Under current law, pay increases are determined by a cost-of-living formula...

and they take effect automatically"

Didn't you just debunk your own OP?

Isn't that a bit like Mitch McConnell filibustering his own bill?

Sid

[Cha]

36. Could you provide a link for that, octoberlib? I'd like to be able to

pass it on.. but, with a link. Thank you

And, yes it does "debunk" your OP..

[Cha]

39. Never mind.. here's the link..

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/03/congressional-reform-act/

[zabet]

3. surprising....NOT

Give themselves a raise and let the working people whose taxes pay their salaries go without.....not even cost of living raise. More murdering the middle class.....pretty soon we will be te peasants and the riff-raff controlled by the rich 'royalty' in DC. None of which could live a week on what most people on SS are expected to live on for a month.

Being as their jobs are elected positions.....I think the constituents should deceide whether their congress critter deserves a raise. That might motivate some of them to actually do what they promised to do to get elected.

[liberal_at_heart]

4. ooh, I like that idea.

Constituents should be the ones to decide if they get a raise or not.

[octoberlib]

7. That's a great idea! It would hold them accountable. nt

[oldbanjo]

10. Your right, I think they need a pink slip.

[Skittles]

6. well isn't that special

[world wide wally]

8. For what?

[UnrepentantLiberal]

9. Yep, we all gotta tighten our belts.

Why did Obama do that?

[Cha]

38. Here's the answer and sorry, you can't blame President Obama..

According to factcheck.org

Under current law, pay increases are determined by a cost-of-living formula, and they take effect automatically, unless Congress votes to stop them. And in fact, that’s what has happened for the past two years. Congress denied itself any pay raise in 2010 and in 2011.

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/03/congressional-reform-act/

[Bohunk68]

11. Please folks, get it correct

take a look at post #5. This OP should be removed, it's pure BS. PAY RAISES ARE AUTOMATIC.

[tjwash]

19. Too late...the O-haters have reached full-poutrage mode. It must run its course now.

And they will happily make up their own facts on the fly to support it.

It is very f-r here at times like that.

[Skidmore]

22. That's right. And the content of this OP

has been circulating on various boards on the internet, mostly posted by Tea Party enthusiasts.

[greatauntoftriplets]

27. Thank you.

Of course, the truth doesn't matter much here if the BS can be used to bash President Obama.

[NYC Liberal]

12. Congressional pay raises are automatic unless they specifically vote to stop it.

[Enrique]

13. not true

the article in "the Hill" gives credible information that this Executive Order is needed in order for them to get their raises.

They report that Congress hasn't had a pay increase since 2009. So how can it be automatic?

[NYC Liberal]

14. Because Congress voted specifically to stop it for those years. They failed to do so this year.

[zabet]

18. That is wrong...

...not what you posted. It is wrong that their pay raises are automatic. Where is their performance review from the people they work for...their constituents. Their constituents should be the ones to vote on their congress critter's pay raises....they put that critter there to represent them. If the critter gets a poor review from his/her constituents...they should get no pay raise.

[NYC Liberal]

25. Congress pulled a neat little stunt 20 years ago.

The 27th Amendment was ratified in 1992. In 1991 they knew that ratification was inevitable, so they passed the bill giving themselves a big raise and enacting automatic COLA adjustments for their pay before it happened. Thus the COLA adjustments were grandfathered in. A court also ruled that the COLA adjustments did not "vary" compensation and that no member of Congress has standing to challenge them.

Oh and the Congressman who brought the lawsuit claiming COLAs were unconstitutional under the then-new 27th Amendment?

A Mr. John Boehner of Ohio

http://openjurist.org/30/f3d/156/boehner-v-k-anderson-s-j

[zabet]

33. Thank you

The for the info and the link! Much appreciated. If their COLA is basically a 'given'......it should be a 'given' that minimum wage needs to go up since the cost of living is going up. Oops.....for a moment there I was dreaming that the workers were entitled to those types of 'perks'.....like raising minimum wage. I guess the cost of living never goes up for us po' folk.

[NYC Liberal]

35. I would be okay with it if they would do the same with the minimum wage!

I agree with you.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

17. Congress should be allotted a pay CUT - to ZERO. Until and unless...

...they decide to actually DO. SOME. WORK.

[zabet]

21. YES!

[datasuspect]

20. it's good work if you can get it

i suppose.

have any of you actually worked with candidates or politicians?

THEY AREN'T HUMAN.

they are all, to a man or woman, insanely driven sociopathic monsters.

[NutmegYankee]

23. The President CANNOT raise the pay of Congress.

What Congress did was tie their cost of living increase to that which the president was given the authority to give to the civil servants serving the executive branch. And the executive branch employees deserve far more of a cost of living increase.

[Sheepshank]

24. Typical....truth twisted heading to further anti Obama rhetoric.

so sick and tired of the obvious agenda and the steaming pile constantly presented to DU.

Almost as sick and tired of the knee jerk reactions that want so badly to "believe everything they read on the internet", they jump into the steaming pile without fact checking.

[Buzz Clik]

26. Ok. I read the debunk. Nevermind

[Robb]

28. This article glosses over the ugly truth

...that the raise is being paid entirely in ground up puppies, killed by POTUS himself.

[Buzz Clik]

29. Smells like puppy breath, tastes like kitten.

yummie!

[AndyA]

30. Rewarding bad behavior

I think their constituents should decide if they get raises or not. If times are bad, unemployment is up, etc., constituents should be able to vote for a pay cut for Congress. If it's not enough, fine. Don't run for office again. I'm sure there are people out there willing to do this job for less money, and quite likely they'd do a better job.

I'm sick and tired of millionaires in Congress making decisions that they know nothing about. None of them know what it's like to live on minimum wage, yet they continue to ignore the fact that minimum wage hasn't kept up with the cost of living in decades.

F 'em.

[tavernier]

31. I wish he actually had that power (which he doesn't)

and then it might go something like this...

Alex, good job this year. You deserve a raise.
Bill... sorry, pal... I've been monitoring your hours. Try harder next year.
Cheryl, over the top! Six new bills and burning the midnight oil! A raise.
Doug... what can I say? You owe the taxpayers 178,000 bucks.

Isn't that what the boss should do?

[octoberlib]

32. Here's a copy of the executive order

http://www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/2012/2013PAY_Attach.pdf

[democrattotheend]

34. I'm glad to see most federal workers get a raise

Since their pay has been frozen for 2 years. But I doubt most members of Congress really need it.

[DearHeart]

37. While a SHITLOAD of people are still UNEMPLOYED, CAN'T FIND WORK and

are just about to become HOMELESS!!!

[Smile47]

40. Take action

Even though this is a small increase, we cannot allow this to happen because it is essentially reinforcing Congress' unacceptable behavior. Let's show Congress that we do not approve their unwillingness to put the American people's interests ahead of their party's interests. We're tired of Congress' lack of accountability and irresponsibility. Click to take action, then share widely!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Ask_President_Obama_to_annul_his_executive_order_that_gave_Congress_unjust_pay_raises/?wKpJndb